Author Topic: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'  (Read 13837 times)

Luc Benac

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Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« on: November 22, 2014, 04:25:53 PM »
I am thrilled. I just got locally a used Javelin Carbon 2011 at a really good price and in great shape.
Regretfully I do not get to try it yet as we are flying tomorrow to France for a couple of weeks.
But as soon as I am back I plan to take it out on our inlet for some flat water goodness.
I have a Makani Kawa that I hope will work like a charm as I do not have a Ninja.

I plan to sell my JP Australia 14x28 to keep a two boards quiver Glide and Javelin.

Cheers,

Luc
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
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DavidJohn

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2014, 04:37:42 PM »
Looks fast just sitting there..  :)

Blue crab

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2014, 05:39:40 PM »
One board quiver. For those who don't mind the refreshing feeling of cold water, the 2011 Jav is a downwind machine!!!

pdxmike

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2014, 05:43:37 PM »
Luc--you'll love that board.  I have the same model.  There are a lot of boards with great graphics and beautiful shapes, but none I like better than that all-white Javelin.  That and your Glide (what I also have) give you about as versatile a quiver as two boards could possibly give.


And Blue crab is right, too.  If you've got the balance, that Javelin is quite versatile.

Luc Benac

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2014, 05:49:45 PM »
I do not have the balance yet, just the swimming and bopping abilities for now :-)

Thanks guys.
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
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pdxmike

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2014, 05:57:59 PM »
Best thing I ever did for my poor balance was get the Javelin.  The speed and glide are addicting.  In calm water, more stable boards feel boring. 

gorgebob

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2014, 06:15:27 PM »
It is fast but not stable. The narrow tail, soft rails, and being extra thick make it a true balance tester.
They dropped the deck on the 2012 Jav and now the new 2015 Javelins are wide and 3X the price.
Founder: Gorge Performance Surf  Shop Portland
Fabricator: RNR Engineering

Luc Benac

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2014, 08:01:56 AM »
A couple of questions for you Javelin's experts.

1) Is everybody running a LA Ninja for flat water?

2) I notice that it is very difficult to carry the board using the carrying handle.
The weight distribution around the handle seems heavily shifted toward the tail, which almost guarantee that it will scrap at some point.
Any tricks in carrying the board around. On your head, shoulder, extra length harms :-)

Cheers,

Luc
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
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Luc Benac

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2014, 03:34:38 PM »
Just did my first outing today before packing and going to the airport tonight.
Moderate wind, light chop.
Hard work in side wind/side chop. I took a break every twenty minutes on different beaches  :-[
One nearly missed fall in side chop saved by a last second kneeling on the windward side, but no dunking  ;D
Nice comfortable glide going downwind (very light wind of about 5 knots) on gently formed wind "swell".
On flat water, the board is humbling as it does feel that you are not giving all you got, it just go faster.
This is not a board on which I would like to be too tired and not focused on choppy conditions. It requires your attention to prevent sudden surprises.
Just getting into a good rhythm and keep it going makes the board feels quite stable.
Tippy yes but great secondary stability.
No problem with the Makani Kawa.
Maybe $4K gets you the new Javelin which would be a little bit or a lot easier and yellower but for the price I paid, I could not be happier and then some. 

Cheers,

Luc

Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
Blackfish Paddles

pdxmike

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2014, 05:16:37 PM »
Luc--I'm no expert but I do have a Ninja on my Javelin.  I've never been able to notice any dramatic differences from one fin to another, but Ninja seems to be a great, versatile fin not geared towards any extreme. 


It seems like all my boards tip towards the rear when carried by the handle, whether it's a strap (Bark) or inset (Javelin and Glide).  I carry my boards on my head for all but very short trips anyway.  My fingers get tired using the handles, especially the Javelin's since it doesn't allow your fingers to curl.

Eagle

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2014, 06:20:20 AM »
Here is old sup vic test data from a couple of years ago that seems applicable to your jav and glide -

http://www.supvic.com/the-rps-supvic-ultimate-14-board-test/

The results are quite interesting in that no two paddlers had the same times for the same boards.  Every paddler was faster or slower on different boards - this goes to show that the results are specific to each individual etc - so ymmv.

Out of these - the Ace Touring and Bark designs are still in production with minimal changes - not really sure of any other ones.

The modern design of your Sportster actually has a good balance between stability and speed for a flat water board.  You may find that board to produce surprisingly good results when compared to the old guns.  It is however nice when one finds a deal on something they really want and need.  ;)
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

Luc Benac

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #11 on: November 24, 2014, 02:00:23 PM »
I've never been able to notice any dramatic differences from one fin to another, but Ninja seems to be a great, versatile fin not geared towards any extreme.

To most extend I do agree that it would take a better paddler than myself to be able to detect differences on similar fins of similar size.
i.e.
On the JP the OEM fin and the Kawa work the same and I would be hard pressed to do a conclusive blind test. Maybe a small nod to the smaller OEM fin on really flat water, but then again, a day in good shape versus a day in bad shape will likely create a bigger difference
On the other hand:
1) on really flat water the Hybrid on the JP feels just too big and I can tell the difference right away
2) on the Glide the Kawa does not seem to work that great and the OEM fin works better and makes the ride smoother

I am assuming that more radical fin design like the Aercor would possess more "personality" and make a more noticeable difference on the board handling. Such difference might be more or less pronounced depending on the board and the conditions.

Anyway that is my theory to justify trying out new fins  ;). Left over from my windsurfing days where a fin could make a huge difference on a board.

I was really surprised at first about the balance at the handle, but after handling the board outside of a garage walking up and down the beach and parking lot, you get really used to the balance. That said, I do not have that problem with the Glide that is a breeze to carry by the handle.

Cheers,

Luc
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
Blackfish Paddles

Eagle

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2014, 02:40:30 PM »
The Aercor is a very interesting design.  It likely would have allowed a recovery from a broach yesterday when quartering a wave DW.  Using the Elite was not optimal in that instance due to the incredible base tracking effect - here the fin needed to be loose.  Straight DW however and in slop the Elite is perfectly manageable.

OTOH the OEM 8.3 SIC fin is much faster on flat and more loose DW - but tippier paddling sideways to waves to get to the wind line.  Always compromises - but always fun to play on the water.  Both fins work fine - but one is better than the other for different situations.  The Hybrid works surprisingly well DW on the loose pin tail Touring - and the Dom DW works good with the quick Slater Trout shape.

Yes - fins for windsurfing can make a big difference - and one can accumulate quite a collection I understand.  ;)
« Last Edit: November 24, 2014, 02:56:49 PM by Eagle »
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

Luc Benac

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2014, 02:56:27 PM »
Best thing I ever did for my poor balance was get the Javelin.  The speed and glide are addicting.  In calm water, more stable boards feel boring.

Mike, you are spot on, it is a challenging board that will make flat water runs more interesting and allow me to improve my overall technique at the same time, the results should be very rewarding. I hope to see these benefits for the downwind season on the Glide next spring/summer as an additional bonus.
Cheers,
Luc
« Last Edit: November 24, 2014, 03:14:31 PM by Luc Benac »
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
Blackfish Paddles

covesurfer

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Re: Naish Javelin 2011 Carbon 14'
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2014, 04:04:43 PM »
I just sold my 2011 Javelin yesterday. It was purchased out of surplus warehouse stock in 2013 and only had a year on the water.

I used the board in all kinds of conditions and as Gorgebob said, 'fast but not stable'. Still, after a month or so of daily downwinders, I got it to work very well in the Gorge. In Maui, I would have considered trying it in perfect Kihei conditions but everything else was just too rough and confused. I did use the Jav for a couple of flat water races last Winter and I will miss it if I do those same races again this Winter.

I used several different fins with the board. For downwind, I used a swept, old windsurf fin which allowed the board to track and turn when surfing. It was less stable than a long chord-length, deep, tracking fin which would probably be best in choppy conditions where you'd want the greatest stability.

Still, with the egg shaped rails, all the way back to the tail and the tall, boxy shape, it is a challenge to ride and paddle well. But you will get there if you ride it regularly. I would be sure and use the vent screw when storing the board and experiment with foot position as well. I found it most stable just behind the handle, a good place to start on downwinders, moving your feet around as necessary for surfing and trimming. In totally flat conditions, you can get your toes all the way up to the smooth part of the pad, in front of the handle. You'll find it even more unstable up there but that's a fast place to go on the flats.

Enjoy and good luck!

 


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